The mere thought of having to touch the helpers disgusts Mary because they are a physical representation of the reality she is denying. When told that she may have to kill her daughter, she reacts badly, as many would expect from a mother, yet she has gone to extremes. She accuses her husband of never having loved his daughter and that the only thing that kept them married was their daughter and that without Jennifer Pietro would have left Maria (156-158). This intense outburst from a woman who is usually so calm when tragedy strikes those outside of her narcissistic bubble only further shows the blasé attitude of denial. When asked to acknowledge impending death, she cannot understand it and tries to find other reasons why Peter tries to get her to come to terms with her daughter's "murder". This is the extreme of his refusal, yet he continues to plan the future to the end, asking Peter to go to town to find a lawnmower days before they finally succumb to the disease and together, as a family, they take the